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I read with interest about Tempest Brewing Co's future plans in The BeerCast. I met a good part of their team while preparing their Meet the Brewer session at the Barcelona Beer Festival in 2016, and I enjoyed some varieties of their beers. After all, it does not come as a surprise that they are doing well.

However, the thing that leads me to write the present post is the initial reflection by colleague writer Rich Taylor, and what actually reveals the disclosure of this information by the Scottish brewery: a growing tendency to communicate on internal affairs and strategies. A good transparency exercise.

"In these changing times of breweries controlled by investment funds, effective communication with the consumer is key"

As pointed out in the 2016 summary post, last year we witnessed how cans began to gain ground on the shelves and fridges of our favorite beer stores and bars. We even saw the first cans of Spanish craft beer.

Possibly one of the local actors that has placed a higher bet on cans until now is a distributor, Crusat, which currently has an extensive portfolio of beers in this format. That is why they have recently launched a campaign for the general public: 'Dando la Lata' -a set phrase in Spanish that would literally translate as 'Giving the Can', meaning hassling, or causing inconvenience-. Their aim is to get rid of certain widely popular beliefs about this kind of packaging, while praising its virtues. A good initiative that will certainly benefit them, but that will also benefit others. So good for it.

"For me, the main advantages of cans are comfort and conservation, in that specific order"

Not even half a week after publishing, my previous post has already become obsolete. Just like last year, it seems we will keep reading the economy press, as AB In-Bev is still hungy and has recently launched a new message of ambition to the European market. In December 2016 they announced the landing of Goose Island pubs -at least in the UK-, but just yesterday we could read that their last move was the buyout of Cervezas La Virgen -Spain-, through the investment fund ZX Ventures.

Despite the almost absolute absence of posts during most of last year, I have been just as connected to the beer world as in previous years. That has allowed me to continue visiting places and talking with people, exchange opinions and experiences, drink lots of interesting beer and, of course, reflect on the industry, its direction and the evolution of our local scene.

The previous one has been a very complete year; full of everything. It is for this exact reason that I chose to start posting in 2017 with a review of all those events and trends we have witnessed. Which at the very least will make us remember 2016 as a significant year.

"Consumers enjoy a better quality and variety on their glasses; in the long run we will better assess what this concentration means for the industry"